At Her Fingertips
by CorrieLikesStory
Summary: Steve is sent to MIT for the weekend to investigate a possible Hydra operation, where he meets a blind young professor. She might be the target Hydra is after, but despite her obvious intelligence, Steve doesn't see the connection. Is he letting his protective instinct go into overdrive, or is Lucy Kim as special as she seems?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I haven't written any avenger fic before (only jane eyre and pride and prejudice), but i wanted something lighter to bounce into for fun, so here goes! Hope you enjoy.

Oh, this'll probably be pretty short, adventure/romance/fluff, and unfortunately I can't promise to upload super-regularly, but I'll do my best. Thanks for reading!

Steve wore a knit cap for anonymity, a leather coat for warmth, and a concealed weapon for threats. He wove his way down the sidewalk through the campus crowd, wondering what kind of target Hydra might have at MIT. Possibly a fledgling superhero, another spider-kid? Or maybe nothing that unusual. There were plenty of geniuses at MIT who might be the target on their own merit, or perhaps someone had stumbled into research that Hydra wanted.  
Either way, Fury had asked Steve to look into it when a contact told them a known Hydra agent had gone undercover as a student.  
Steve watched the agent's black puffy coat and green backpack, but trailed him from a discrete distance. Today was for observing the agent's chosen schedule and identifying possible targets.  
The heavy January sky looked like it could spit snow any moment and a fierce wind blew between the brick buildings. Students hunched over and clutched their backpacks a little tighter.  
An old oak groaned against the wind, and with a crack, a large branch broke away. For a moment it caught in another branch, the twigs and few remaining leaves holding it like Velcro. Slowly it ripped away.  
Steve watched in consternation as a woman under the tree paused. She looked up at the noise and stepped back, but then uncertainly stepped forward right under the dangling limb.  
"Watch out!" Steve called.  
She turned her face towards him blankly. Steve took three giant strides and jerked her out of the way.  
He prevented the eight inch limb from clocking her in the head, but she still got raked by the smaller sticks and pulled to her knees.  
"Ouch," she shook her head as if to clear away mist. "That sounded heavy."  
Steve tightened his grip on her arm and helped her to her feet. Only now did he see the white stick with a red tip at her feet.  
She gingerly touched a set of scratches on her neck. They were brilliant red, but not bleeding. "Are you alright?" Steve asked.  
"Yes. I guess it's a good thing I'm wearing a thick coat or I would have lost more skin."  
Steve glanced around, not pleased to see that Puffy Coat had stopped along with a dozen other students, watching the spectacle. The last thing Steve needed was to get on his radar. Thankfully, the agent only glanced their way before continuing toward the nearby academic building. Steve would give him a minute or two. He knew what classroom he was headed towards.  
The woman touched Steve's arm with shaky fingers and smiled at his chin. "Thanks for the assist," she said. "I got confused by the creaking. I couldn't tell where the branch would fall."  
Steve couldn't help but realize that he'd found someone who would never recognize him. He didn't have to worry about her seeing past his cap, sunglasses and scruffy beard. Interesting.  
And how did she deal with the isolation of this handicap? The smile on her face—kind and thankful—but also a bit disconnected, was eerily familiar. It was how he smiled at most people. Not meeting their eyes, not connecting for real, with no expectation of real understanding.  
She was Korean, with shiny black hair and eyes. Very pretty. "Could you grab my cane?" She added, moving her foot cautiously. "It should be right here."  
Steve bent down and picked up the pieces. "It's..."  
Her face fell. "Broken?"  
"I'm sorry." He put the light fiberglass pieces in her hand.  
Her fingers closed around them with a convulsive grab, and she released a long sigh.  
The wind whipped around her, blowing strands of her long black hair out of the tidy bun.  
Steve shifted his weight uneasily. His instincts said to be a gentleman and walk her to where she needed to go, but his job was to tail the agent.  
Another girl picked up the messenger bag the woman had dropped. "Professor Kim, it's Micah. I've got your bag here. Are you alright to do class today? I can go on in and cancel if you need to..."  
The woman smiled again, and shivered. "Nice try, Micah. I think I can manage. Let's get inside."  
Steve faded back as the rest of the students groaned. Apparently they were part of the class and had gotten their hopes up. The professor put her hand on the student's shoulder. "I heard that," she said loudly. "Now Micah, just lead me around this branch and into the building, and I'll be set."  
Steve quietly got in front of them and held the glass door as they entered. The professor turned her face towards him for a second, as though questioning who was holding the door, and Steve instinctively turned his head away.  
He needed to get a grip. If he felt vulnerable to a blind woman's glance, what next?

To top it off, as he casually drank from a water fountain ten minutes later, and eyed the large lecture hall the Hydra agent had entered, the blind professor came out of an office door and made her way past him.  
Her lips were moving slightly, counting her steps. When she put her hand out and felt the door handle on the first try, a pleased smile crossed her face.  
Steve waited for her to get in before entering. Thankfully it was a lecture class, freshman level, and there were over a eighty students to blend into.  
Steve sank into a chair near the back. He folded his legs up uncomfortably to fit under the tiny writing table attached to the arm rest.  
The class was molecular biology, something Steve was interested in anyway, and he found himself mesmerized by the young professor.  
Not only was she explaining a complicated subject—complicated to him, anyway—she was doing it without notes. Without visual reference to the plastic models she referred to. She handled the class expertly, even getting them involved in audible class 'votes' as she introduced new information.  
It was a kind of power that impressed him. She couldn't see any of them. They could see her. It seemed a clear imbalance of power, but she still held clear command of the situation.  
How often did Steve feel that way? That everyone could google his life story and inspect the things that marked his soul, while he looked on modern people and could barely see through the exterior. And yet he still had to lead. Blindly.  
He was exaggerating, he chided himself, his problem wasn't like being blind.  
But there were definite similarities. Could she be the target of the Hydra agent? His gut said yes.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy Kim finished the hour long class by giving the assignment and having the class verbally repeat it to her. She knew there might be (probably were) people sleeping in the back of the class, but at least the loud rumble of repeated page numbers would wake them up. And it helped reinforce the homework to the awake students.

She rubbed her neck tentatively. It stung. A lot. That branch, unless she was much mistaken, might've really hurt her if that man hadn't pulled her away.

People sometimes grabbed her arm to 'help' her get somewhere, which was beyond irritating. But this time, though he wrenched her arm a bit, she freely forgave him.

Lucy collected her things as the class left. She heard plans for the weekend, complaints about food, and weather predictions as they left.

Lucy had placed a stylus for her tablet on the teacher table, but now she couldn't find it. It must have rolled. She gently ran her hand back and forth, hoping to feel it before she knocked it onto the floor.

She heard the squeak of shoes on tile as someone approached. The room was almost empty. She could hear one more person breathing in the back of the room, plus this person.

Lucy smiled, feeling tired and sore. "Can I help you?"

"I thought I could help you." It was one of her new students, Curtis. She was his advisor, so had helped him select his spring classes. "Is this your stylus?"

She heard a swoop of air as he leaned over to the floor. A slight click indicated where he set it on the table. Had he not seen her outstretched hand?

Lucy carefully reached for it, thankful it came to her fingertips the first time. "Thanks, Curtis."

His breathing hitched for a second, and then evened out. Was he nervous about something? She had gotten a bit of a weird vibe from him during their advising session, but he'd been nothing but respectful.

"Professor, I noticed your cane was smashed earlier. Can I walk you to your flat? I'm going up the hill anyway."

Lucy hesitated. Did he know where she lived? Her apartment was on campus, so it wouldn't be unheard of, but usually the students did not pay that much attention.

"No, thank you," she said decidedly. "I have grading to do." She put the stylus in her bag and slung it over her shoulder, making her way confidently to the door, where she'd left her coat on a hook.

The quiet presence in the back of the class reminded her of the unknown student who still remained. "Time to go," she said, in that general direction. "There's another class here in ten minutes."

Curtis waited behind her, a little too close. She could feel his breath on her neck. "Do you have office hours today? I need to ask a few questions…" She heard his heart beat speeding up. Shoot. Was he trying to come onto her? That was so annoying when it happened. Some wimpy college guys liked the idea of dating an older woman (older than them, anyway), and were bolder with her, because they felt anonymous. They thought since she couldn't see them that they could be more handsome, more dashing, more… whatever. As if she couldn't tell by their voice and their handshake how young and uncertain they were.

Curtis had not given her that feeling, he'd seemed older, more confident than the average freshman, but maybe she'd been wrong.

A twist of fabric and the shifting of a chair at the back of the lecture hall indicated that the last student had finally gotten up.

She was rather glad someone else was here, in case Curtis got any further ideas.

Curtis cursed suddenly. "I thought it might be you." He grabbed Lucy at the waist and drug her backward against him. She nearly lost her footing on the slick floor, and scrambled to get her feet under her. Something hard pressed into her neck.

"Stay back or I'll shoot her," Curtis said.

Lucy tried to wrench away, but Curtis was strong, and had at least six inches on her. His arm was like a vise. What was happening?

The other man's voice was calm. "Shooting your target? That doesn't sound smart." It was the guy who'd helped her under the tree! She was certain she'd never met him before today. He certainly wasn't one of her students.

"We don't need her that badly." Curtis's voice was flat. He edged her toward the door. "And unlike you, I can handle collateral damage."

"Come on. How do you think this is gonna go? Let her go and I'll give you a five-minute head start."

Curtis's grip tightened. Lucy snuck her right hand into her bag. It hung near her waist so she could reach it despite her arm being locked down. Her stylus came quickly to her fingers, right in the slot where she'd placed it. It wasn't terribly sharp, but if she jabbed it as hard as she could…

The other man continued, his voice was growing nearer. "You're out-classed. You couldn't have known I'd be here, and you can't take me by yourself. There's no shame in trying again another day."

When Lucy decided he was close enough to be of help, she planted her foot to the side and slammed the stylus into Curtis's thigh as hard as she could.

He exclaimed in pain. His arm loosened. Lucy dropped to a crouch, instinctively covering her head.

Curtis's gun went off, right above her head. It physically hurt her ears, it was so loud. It deafened her, in fact, and she crouched even tighter as her main sense went temporarily haywire. Another shot was fired, perhaps two. Definitely two sets of vibrations pounded out into the hallway.

She was alone. Right? She cowered in a way totally unlike her, trying to figure out why that had just happened.

Hands touched her shoulders after a few moments—or was it more than a few moments? And Lucy jerked back. She should have got moving. She was still oriented in the room, and knew the door was behind her, a bit to the left.

She took a few fast steps and hit the wall, full body. She reeled back, dazed. Clearly she wasn't as oriented as she thought.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I scared you. Can you hear me?" The man's voice came through finally, distantly.

Lucy put her back to the wall. "Who are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Steve winced in sympathy as she pressed herself against the wall. Having seen how poised she normally was, her current state was painful to see.

That was Hydra in a nutshell, wasn't it? Stealing and bribing away self-respect if they could, and crushing it out of those who couldn't be bought.

"It's alright," Steve repeated slowly. "You're safe now. I'm not a threat to you."

"C-C-campus security," she stuttered. "Where are they?"

She slid toward the door and Steve backed further away from her. His instinct was to reassure her physically: just a pat on the shoulder or a hand up...but that was not what she needed.

"I'm sure security is on their way. The gun shots were reported, but it's only been a few minutes."

Steve hadn't chased the Hydra agent very far. He hadn't expected the agent to have a buddy pull up on a motorcycle right outside the building.

Steve still could've caught them, but with the campus crowded with students, the threat of collateral damage was high. Not to mention the chance of hostage taking... Steve had made the call to temporarily let him go.

Or...had he just been unable to leave her behind? She'd stabbed the agent like a pro and gracefully dropped to the ground. But his last image of her was huddled on the floor, and he couldn't get rid of it.

Steve shook his head. He hadn't felt this conflicted about a decision in a while, and that was saying something.

The professor kept shaking her own head too, as if trying to clear her ears.

"Who are you?" she repeated.

Steve hesitated. He'd never introduced himself as Captain America, and didn't intend to start now. These days, he hardly had to introduce himself at all. When someone had context, they usually recognized him right away. And...the thought almost made him laugh...she probably wouldn't believe him anyway! He had no easy way to prove it to her. He didn't even have his shield on him.

"I'm... an army captain. Special investigations. I was following that man, but I didn't expect him to escalate so quickly. I do apologize for the fright he gave you."

He wanted to ask if she knew why the agent was interested in her, but her disheveled hair and wild eyes (though of course she didn't know it) made it hard to interrogate her.

She'd made it to the door, and when her hand wrapped around the handle, she straightened and took a deep breath. Clearly it made her feel more comfortable to have that anchor point.

"Before you go," Steve said, not wanting to scare her, but fearing she might bolt into the hallway. "I have to warn you that that man might come back. I didn't stop him yet, and he didn't get what he was after."

She rubbed her eyes and rolled her neck. "What he was after? Do you mean my research? But I've several articles in the publication chain. Academic research isn't worth...this."

"What are you researching?" Steve asked. He'd done his homework on the agent's professors, but Dr. Kim's niche biology papers hadn't been groundbreaking, as he remembered it. Nor had Jarvis thought so.

She shook her head. "Never mind. It can't be that. It's not that interesting. I...just... Where IS everyone?"

"Perhaps the school has gone into—what do they call it?—lock down? Which might be for the best. I don't think the agent will circle back around, but I can't be positive." He scolded himself again for failing to do his job. "If you tell me where your phone is, I can hand it to you." Perhaps she had a husband or boyfriend, or friend to call.

Her hands slid to her waist and then shoulder, as if shocked to realize her bag had disappeared. It had slid off after she stabbed the agent and it had been flung under the first row of chairs.

"Here it is." Steve picked up her satchel and carefully approached her. "Don't worry, ma'am, everything's going to be fine."

She gauged his height better this time than she had under the tree. She seemed to be looking into his face. "Were you following me earlier? Or Curtis?"

"Him. His real name is Landon Kepps. He's a...a Hydra agent."

She took the bag. "He didn't seem like a Curtis."

Steve was so impressed with her sang froid that he laughed. "It sounds like this is not your first walk in the park?"

She shook her head. "No, it definitely is. I was terrified a moment ago. But...terror fades and I find I'm still me. And," she smiled, "You sound trustworthy, so I'm temporarily calm."

She held out her hand. "Nice to meet you..."

"Steve," he filled in, gripping her offered hand. Why did he feel elated?

"Lucy Kim. Biologist."

Steve still had her hand in his when his own phone rang. She jumped and he pulled it out.

It was Fury. "Three Hydra trip lines just got thrown. They're calling in reinforcements to Boston. Anything I should know?"

Steve saw Lucy's head tilt. She could probably hear the conversation. Didn't many blind people have acute hearing? Or was that a myth?

Steve kept it short. "Kepps spotted me and aborted. Target is here."

"Seems this is higher priority than we thought. Target is...?"

"Lucy Kim," Steve repeated. He even liked her name. What was the matter with him? "Reason unknown."

"Get her out of Boston then. Both of you."

Fury clicked off and Steve put his phone away.

Lucy frowned suspiciously. "I'm not leaving town with you. Not with anyone I don't know."

"I'm sorry, but for your own safety, we need to go. These people are ruthless and they won't care who gets hurt." Steve looked around helplessly. How could he prove any of this to her? He grimaced at what he had to do.

"You felt his gun against your neck, didn't you? You heard it go off. That could be somebody else. Today. Tomorrow."

Her pale skin visibly paled further.

Steve pressed it, though he felt like a villain for scaring her. "Do you live with anyone? Do you want them to be there when Kepps returns? Even if I keep watch on your apartment, it would be difficult to intercept every threat. Better to go while we figure this out."

"No...I'm alone. But—go? I have a job, I have classes. I live here on campus. It's very safe. Surely if the police are warned..."

"No offense, but I'm better than the police. And you don't want to get tied up for hours when security finally gets here. You should leave now. You can buy whatever you need later."

She shook her head. "Maybe it seems that easy to you, but I don't travel without a plan. I can't just walk away from my life. Literally." She gestured at her unseeing eyes.

Steve wanted to brush the hair out of her face that she didn't seem to notice. "I know I can't understand how hard that would be. But I do understand walking into situations blind. Sometimes you have to trust your instincts, and right now I'm asking you to trust me. I promise to get you somewhere safe until we know why you were targeted."

Her mouth quivered uncertainly and her hands clutched the bag with white knuckles.

Steve hadn't realized that he relied on his fame (and possibly his looks) to make people listen to him. Without either of those things, he felt strangely vulnerable, as if she was judging his soul. Was he, Steve Rogers, trustworthy? Or was it just the incorruptible aura of Captain America that people responded to?

When Lucy pursed her lips and nodded sharply, his heart stuttered.

"Alright," she said. "Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy's adrenaline carried her all the way to the dorm. Without her walking stick, she asked the Captain (Steve, he'd corrected) to be a temporary guide. She put her hand on his shoulder, but that was too high to be comfortable, so she switched to his arm. She directed him to lead her out a side door and then north through campus. The lockdown was being lifted and she heard people emerging from the buildings around her. Hurried calls were being made, assuring their parents or friends of safety. Lucy felt like her frightful experience must be written on her face, like she should be swarmed with people asking if she was okay... but of course, no one knew she had been involved. No one except the man she was with.

As Lucy's adrenaline faded, her normally analytical mind kicked back in. She wouldn't get in a car with a man she'd just met. She would pack some things, but she would insist on vetting him with a seeing friend who could check his ID. Then, if it checked out, she would go.

She trembled as she thought about what might happen if he DIDN'T check out. She believed him, but her gut had betrayed her before.

His arm clenched under her hand and she felt rock solid muscle. He certainly felt like a soldier.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I got another message," he said. "My superiors seem to think we don't have long."

Lucy pursed her lips. Was he telling the truth or just trying to rush her into a mistake?

She put it aside for the moment. "Do you see a red brick building, ahead on the right? Enter through the front door. My apartment is on the ground floor."

Lucy hoped someone she knew would be in the lobby. She sighed sharply at the empty sound of it, deserted. Would nothing fall her way today?

Lucy retrieved her key and thankfully unlocked her door. She felt almost limp with relief. This was her space, which she knew like the sound of her own voice.

"You can wait right here," she told Steve.

"Sorry, I ought to make sure there's no surprises inside." His voice was apologetic, but he didn't hesitate to brush past her into the small apartment.

Lucy froze.

She didn't let strangers into her apartment. It was one of things she liked about living in a dorm. There was always the lobby she could use, or if she needed privacy, the RA didn't mind if Lucy used the extra office. Lucy hadn't had a boyfriend in years, so that was a non-issue.

Hearing this man stride through her space was unsettling. What was even more unsettling was how quiet he was after he entered. For such a large guy, he moved very softly. She didn't like it.

Lucy was accustomed to her blindness- how could she not be?—but that didn't make it easier to exist in a world for the seeing. It didn't make it easier to deal with people who couldn't fathom the way she processed life. The way she controlled her life.

"Clear," he said.

Lucy forced herself to enter, despite how vulnerable she felt. "Did you move anything?"

"No."

His voice put him near the couch. "Just stay there, would you?"

She went rapidly to the tiny coat closet and reached to the upper shelf where she had a spare cane. The silence was alive. Was he still by the couch? Normally she would trust her ears, but she was rattled.

"Talk or something," Lucy said. "I can't spare the energy to keep track of you."

He hesitated, then, "Alright. As long as you keep packing."

She pulled her suitcase from the same closet and headed for the bedroom. "I'm listening."

"Uh. Like I said, my name is Steve. I'm not too good at small talk."

She smiled instinctively at his sheepish tone of voice.

"I've been in the army since I was...very young. Currently I'm on a domestic assignment, and the investigation lead here to MIT, and you, Ms. Kim."

Lucy yanked on the dresser drawer a little too strongly and almost dropped it on her foot.

Steve's hands caught the heavy wooden drawer just as Lucy anticipated a bruised foot.

She jumped away from him. "What the heck? How do you move that fast?"

"I was just coming to check on your progress," he said.

"No. No way. You're too fast. And too quiet. It's not normal."

He loudly reinserted the drawer. "I am fast, but not always fast enough. Remember?"

Her hand went to the scratches on her neck, from the tree branch.

"Do you have what you need?" he asked. "We really need to go."

Lucy added a few more blouses (all white and black, unless her shopping friend Marisa had been lying to her for several years) and several pairs of slacks (all gray and black).

"Before we go, I need to see the RA," Lucy said firmly. She left the apartment—she couldn't stand to be in such close proximity to him—and he followed her into the hall.

"We don't—"

"I'm not going another step until someone verifies your identity." Lucy clenched her jaw, waiting for... something? A rag drenched with chloroform to cover her mouth? His strong hands to suddenly drag her out a window?

She used her key to lock the door, her hand shook.

"It's alright, you're scared, I understand."

Lucy dropped her key. Of all the days to go to pieces...

She crouched to pick it up and was thankful to feel the key ring immediately under her fingertips.

Steve gasped. It was slight, just a rapid inhalation, really. Lucy's frayed nerves stretched taught as he grasped her hand to help her stand up.

"I don't need help."

He didn't let go of her hand, and turned it palm up. "How did you do that?"


End file.
